


Cold arms

by wolfypuppypiles



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Blood, Car Accidents, Family Feels, Gore, Hurt Riley, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Papa Jack, Protective Jack, Sad, Team as Family, Violence, Worried Jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-02 10:45:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10942890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfypuppypiles/pseuds/wolfypuppypiles
Summary: Jack had been the closest thing to a dad that Riley had ever had, and then he'd left. Now they she had him back, she didn't ever think he'd leave her again. But she was wrong.Riley gets hurt on a mission and see's Jack and Mac walking away and thinks she's being abandoned.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am trying to update my other stuff so please bear with me while I get it sorted in the mean time have this thing that I came up with while at work. Please let me know what you think? And if you have nay suggestions I'd love to hear them Ya'll know I love whump so if you have idea's for this stuff let me know

“Riley, get down!” The girl ducked behind a crate and hugged her laptop close, flinching as bullets rained down around them. They had gathered evidence of the gang syndicates illegal activities and sent it off to Matty , which did not make Marco, the gangs drug lord, happy.

Jack was firing back with the last of his ammo while Mac hastily fiddled with some garbage he’d found, no doubt making something to get them out of there. They only had to get to the waiting van outside and they’d be home free. If only getting there was so easy. 

Mac gave out a yell, just as Jack ran out of ammo, and the three booked it for the exit as Mac threw his garbage bomb. 

The bad guys were momentarily distracted by the small explosive, and the team were finally in the van. Jack was laughing as he slammed the pedal to the floor and sped them out of there. But, of course, nothing ever went exactly according to plan. 

One minute, they were speeding down a dirt road through a forest of tree’s, and the next, they were flying. 

Something hit the front tire, something like a bullet, and sent the van swerving towards the tree’s. Jack tried to steer their collision, making the road kick up clouds of dust, but could do nothing as the van began to flip and roll. 

Riley saw her laptop smash against the roof, and then the window, before it came at her head. The world going dark as she screamed and squeezed her eyes shut, hearing her team mates cry out as glass shattered and metal creaked. 

Her head spun so much that she didn’t realize the van had come to a stop, until Jack called out to her, voice shaken.   
“Riley, are you okay? Hey, answer me kid, come on.”

She opened her eyes to see Jacks scratched up face looking at her with concern. He was crouching down, awkwardly, over Macgyver who was holding his arm to his chest. The van was laying on its side and Riley vaguely realized she was laying on the broken window. 

She knew she should answer him but her head was pounding as her chest heaved in panic and she couldn’t make her mouth move. 

Jack frowned and reached towards her, lifting a hand to her face and gently wiping the warm wetness slipping down her forehead and cheek.   
“You’re bleeding, must have hit your head.” 

Riley didn’t respond, just blinked at him as he took back his, now blood smeared, fingers. He looked out the window, behind Riley and frowned again.   
“Sorry guys, but we have to get moving. Those guys are gonna come back for us any minute. Mac, you good to walk?”

MacGyver nodded through a groan as he sat up and began tying his jacket around his arm, creating a sling to cradle his broken appendage. 

Riley was about to say something about how badly her left ankle hurt, when Jack started yelling and the glass smashed behind her. Glass fell down around her as she let out a scream, hands gripping her and dragging her through the ruined window. 

Her body screamed in protest as her broken leg made itself known, and she could only sob in pain as an arm wrapped around her throat and dragged her backwards. Jack called out as a voice came from the person holding her.   
“Destroy all evidence you found and surrender, or she dies.”

Riley could see Jack scramble from the ruined van, hands raised, as Mac followed. Jack’s face was one of worry, thinly covered by rage, as he looked between Riley and her captor.   
“Let her go, the laptops busted okay? You won, now just let her go.”

Riley tried to get her good foot under her as the man dragged her backwards, tightening the arm on her throat. She dragged in as much air as she could as her hands pulled at the arm choking her. That voice came again, cold and slightly amused and she knew it was Marco.

“We have won. So, you can leave here unharmed if you let me take the girl. I’d really like less of a mess to clean up.” 

Mac got shakily to his feet beside Jack and glared at the pig holding his team mate.   
“Not a chance.”

Riley could hear boots slam against dust as people approached from behind, back up for the man holding her. And by the looks on her friends faces, they had guns.   
“Fine, I guess we’ll just have to make a few more bodies disappear. Kill them.”

Jack pulled Mac back behind the car just as the first bullets were fired, and Riley could only watch as she was dragged away. She fought as much as she could but couldn’t get free, the arm around her too tight to squirm from. She watched as Jack’s arm jumped out from behind the van, swiping at the feet of one of the gunman that had crept too close. Jack’s foot met the side of the gunman’s head and the weapon was his. 

The bad guys started dropping and Marco cursed as he moved faster, dragging Riley into the thick of the tree’s. 

Her leg screamed with every step she was forced to take and she let out a sob as then man tried to move faster. He dragged her further into the forest, practically carrying her over the fallen branches and mounds of dirt. He was huge and Riley wasn’t sure she could stop him.

The trees were so thick that she could barely see the van or her team mates anymore, and the sounds of gunfire was fading.  
She needed to get away from this guy before he killed her or got her back to his compound. 

Every bit of self-defence she’d learnt came flooding into her mind and she quickly gripped her assailants arm and twisted it above her head, slipping from his hold. He grunted in annoyance before crying out in pain as Riley broke a couple of his fingers with a twist of her hand. 

She had bought herself a few seconds to get away, but with a concussion and a broken leg, a few seconds was not enough. A kick to the back sent her sprawling on the ground before big meaty hands turned came down to grab her. She rolled onto her back and kicked with her good leg but her ankle quickly became trapped in that giant hand.   
She started to scream instead, calling for her team mates but this only made the drug lord mad, and he gripped her shoulders to lift her up and slam her back to the ground. Her screams died as her head hit against the hard wood of exposed tree roots, and her vision turned to muddy blurs as her headache worsened. 

Everything was slow and stretched as the tree’s swirled above her, but she saw Marco leaning over her and something else strapped to his side. Light glinted off the, polished, bone handle of his knife and Riley dragged her fingers towards it as Marco leered down at her. 

“Once we get you fixed up, you’ll make a good little pet for me, won’t you?”

He laughed and was about to say something else when he choked instead, his own knife sinking into the soft flesh of his neck. 

Riley let go of the knife and tipped Marco off her as he poured blood, and she tried to crawl away from him as he died. 

The extra few hits to the head had made her fuzzy and she could barely feel her broken leg anymore, but that didn’t mean she could walk either. She managed to crawl a few meters away, sobbing with every drag of her battered body, before she heard her name being called. 

“Riley! Where are you?”

“Riley!”

Jack and Mac were looking for her, MacGyvers voice sounding weaker than usual, and Riley wanted to call back but she could barely manage a whisper. Marco’s grip on her neck had been so tight that she felt as if her throat was bruised even on the inside, and as much as she tried, she couldn’t yell back. 

She could barely keep her eyes open but still she lifted her head a little, looking desperately through the tree’s to where the most light was coming from. They were far away and she could barely see them, but there they were, Jack holding a machine gun as Mac lent heavily against his side. 

Jack was searching the tree’s but looked towards the drug lords compound again and said something to Mac. Riley couldn’t hear what was said, and realized that she must have lost her coms in the crash. 

Jack gave one last shout before wrapping an arm around Mac and carrying him away. They walked down the road, away from the compound, away from the tree’s, and away from her. They were leaving. 

A sob choked her and she made a fist in the dirt on the ground, silently begging them to come back. But she couldn’t see them anymore, and they’d stopped calling for her. 

She was alone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg I'm serious this is so bad I'm so sorry none of it came out the way I wanted and honestly I'm just posting this so I dont have to read it again ughhh also you guys are the absolute best every bit of support means so much to me and I really hope you like this

Jack cursed as he slung the strap of his machine gun over his shoulder, leaving both his arms free to help Mac walk back to the ruined van.   
“We can’t leave her, she’s hurt.”

Jack sat the kid down for a second so that he could search the wreckage for a cell phone. “I know, but you’re hurt too and we don’t know where in that forest she is. More of those gang members could come back and finish us off so we need to call for an exfil, we aren’t making it to the airport like this.” 

Mac tried to get up, despite his broken arm and the glassy look in his eyes, and Jack placed a hand on his knee to stop him.   
“Hey, we aren’t leaving her. I promise, I’m just going to call for back up and get you somewhere hidden so I can go get her.”

Mac seemed okay with this plan for now, and settled back to the ground, carefully cradling his sore arm as Jack shifted through broken glass and bullet casings for his phone. He found it, though scratched up at it was, and quickly dialed Matty’s number. 

“Hey, we’re gonna need some assistance here, Mac’s hurt and Riley’s missing… They flipped the van Matty, and Riley got pulled out. Marco got her… Yeah, I’ll get Mac somewhere safe and go find her, but she’s hurt too so we’re gonna need some medic’s. Yeah, I’ll keep you updated.”

Mac was rubbing at his eyes to try and clear his blurry vision, which Jack noticed and was not happy about. He gently took hold of Mac’s chin to peer into his eyes as the kid tried to push him away.   
“Mac, stop it. I think you have a concussion, so just sit still until back up arrives. We need to find Riley before Marco sends more guys in to finish us off.”

Mac finally got him to release is chin, and looked around the dusty road at the bodies on the ground.   
“He could’ve already taken her to the compound. We should go in and get her.” His words were slightly slurred, which just caused Jack more worry.

Jack squinted at the old warehouse Marco’s men were working out of. There were more gang members inside, all heavily armed. Marco would have already sent back up if he’d made it there, which means he was still in the woods, and so was Riley. 

“Nah, I don’t think she’s in there. We’ll get the tac team to search it and arrest Marco’s guys, but I’m gonna go find our girl.” He picked up a gun and pushed it into Mac’s good hand, trying again when he almost immediately dropped it.   
“Take this and stay here, if any of Marco’s guys comes near you, just shoot ‘em.”

Mac shook his head, making him a little nauseous.   
“No, I wanna help.”

Jack crouched down a little lower when he saw movement by the warehouse.   
“Mac, we’re not negotiating. Just do as I say, for once. Shit, get down.”

Three huge guys came out of the warehouse, looking around, confused. One had a walkie talkie and didn’t seem to get a response from it. Jack pointed.  
“They’re probably looking for their boss, and if he’s not answering…”

Mac watched Jack’s grim face. “He’s either busy or he’s dead.”

Jack nodded, not liking what either of those options meant for Riley. 

................................

 

Riley clenched her teeth as she tried to pull herself up from the ground. She needed to get away from Marco, from the body. She shuddered and swallowed her nausea at the images in her mind. The way the knife had felt as it sunk into his neck, the blood as it poured from him and drilled her arm, splattering her shirt with it. 

The smell was making her stomach twist unpleasantly and she had to pause for a moment, to try and wait for it to settle. 

It only got worse once she looked down at her hands, painted red with the slick blood of the life she took. It was in self-defense, she knew that, but it did nothing to stop the horror that overtook her as she tried to desperately wipe the blood on the leaves around her. 

She was still laying on the ground, only a few meters from the body, and god the sounds he'd made as he choked and drowned. She didn't think she'd ever get those to leave her head. 

That, and the sight of Jack walking away. Logically, she knew that he wouldn't leave her. He was probably getting help or having trouble finding her; but that didn't stop the panic rising in her at the thought of being left alone in the woods. 

When Riley first met Jack, she hadn’t liked him at all. He talked funny and she didn’t know him at all, so why should he be allowed to spend so much time with her mom? He’d been kind though, and paid more attention to her than her dad had. 

Her dad had done some awful things, and he always acted so sweet afterwards. Which only meant Riley couldn’t trust him, no matter what mood he was in.   
So, she hadn’t been exactly eager to play nice with her mom’s new boyfriend. But one day, she’d come home from school after getting into a fight with some idiot kid. She’d only been standing up for herself but received a black eye and a suspension for her trouble. Her mom had been so worried about her but Jack helped her ice her eye and taught her how to throw a proper punch. 

“Now, don’t tell your mom about this cause she’s worried about you enough as it is. But if you’re gonna go up against some asshole that’s bigger than you, I want to know you can handle yourself.”

He taught her how to throw a punch and how to dodge one, and then he’d gotten her hooked on wrestling shows, which they’d watch together every Saturday afternoon. She had started to feel safe again, like she could really trust him. And then he left. 

One night she’d been asleep but woke to hear her dad shouting and Jack shouting back. She crept down to see Jack knock her dad out, with the same punch he’d taught her. She remembered screaming and Jack turning towards her, and the look on his face was one of absolute terror and shame.

She’d come home from school, the next day, to see her mom crying on the couch.   
“Riley, honey. Jack’s not coming over anymore. It just didn’t…it didn’t work out.”

So, she’d closed herself off again. She didn’t talk to people at school, and she got into trouble more often. She missed Jack, but she hated him for leaving her. It was a lot for a kid to go through. 

And now she was lying on the forest floor, crying into the damp leaves, and hating him again. He couldn’t have just left her, could he? Marco had told them that they could go free if they let him take her. And she didn’t want to believe it but what other explanation was there? 

She was on her stomach on the ground, gripping leaves in her blood slick hands, and she couldn't breathe. It was as if she were that kid again, watching the closest thing she had to a father, walk away from her and her mom. He couldn't leave her again. She couldn't lose him. 

A sob tore its way up her already sore throat, and she did her best to drag air in as her head spun. She didn't know if she could do this. Her leg was broken, her head hurt so bad it was hard to even open her eyes, and she'd just killed someone with her bare hands. 

Jack had told her that he'd always be there for her, and Mac had promised to protect her. But they were gone and all she could do was sob into the dirt. 

No. She could do this because she had to. She'd dealt with some heavy crap before. She'd handled prison for two years, she could get herself out of a freaking forest. 

She heaved in a deep breath, ignoring the pain that flared all over at the small movement, and focused. She needed a plan. If she could just get to the wrecked van and find her phone or coms, she could call for help. But getting there would be no easy feat. 

Taking a few more breaths, she rolled onto her back and sat up, squeezing her eyes shut at the way her stomach flipped. Now she just had to get to her feet. 

There was a rock nearby and she used it to push herself up, biting down a yell at how much her body protested. Next was the really hard part, because walking generally involved using two feet and she only had one. She made a conscious decision not to look down at the broken appendage, deciding that seeing it in a strange, unnatural angle, would do nothing for her already unsettled stomach, and barely contained panic. 

What would MacGyver do in this situation? He'd probably build a phone or helicopter or something ridiculous out of leaves, or find some way to signal the team. But Marco’s guys were also out there, and any signal she put up would lead them straight to their boss’s killer. 

She groaned in frustration before remembering the way Jack complained about how MacGyver wrote mission reports and debriefs. 

"You always get so specific, Mac. Who cares about the science behind what you’re doing? And I really don't think Matty gives a crap about what exactly you used to make a splint for Cynthia’s leg. You're making me look bad, all I had in mine was "Mac fixed it". It's a mission report not a decertation." 

Well there was her first solution. She needed to make a splint. She didn't even want to think about touching her leg, but if she wanted to get out of the forest, she'd have to. 

Riley gingerly sat herself on the rock, looking around for any usable branches and anything to tie them with. It seemed her luck was turning, because laying a few feet away, were a couple of broken branches, hanging limply from their tree from where Marco had dragged her. 

She snapped them off and slipped her belt from her jeans as she grit her teeth; this was going to hurt. A lot. 

She'd learnt some basic first aid at school, and heard Mac talk about it enough times to know that the purpose of a splint was to stabilize the broken bone so that it wouldn't move and cause more damage. 

Her boot came up past her ankle and she could feel the tightness becoming uncomfortable as her limb began to swell, but it would be helpful for the splint at least. 

Slipping the ends of the sticks into her boots, she placed them on either side of her broken leg, and used her belt to tie the tops of them around her. She pressed her lips tightly together but couldn't stop a sob that tore through at the pain. She took a moment to wipe her eyes before unlacing the shoe on her bad foot and using the laces to tie the splint more securely. 

It wasn't pretty and probably wasn't the best splint ever but it was something. The next thing she needed was a crutch but that would be harder to make than a splint. 

Riley looked around, blinking slowly as her thoughts drifted. What was she looking for again? God, she was so tired and something was running down her neck. 

She lifted a lazy hand to try and figure out what that warm wet feeling was. When she took her fingers back, it took her a few moments to work out what she was looking at. It was blood, but it seemed to be hers. She had been hit in the head a few times, actually more than a few times. 

She cursed quietly. The blood loss and concussion would explain why she was so tired and confused, as well as the nausea, but it didn't make her odds of getting out alone any better. Her hands were shaking and her vision was blurred, and although she would rather do anything than move, that was what she had to do. She had been taking care of herself since she was sixteen, she could do this. 

She was about to get up from her rock seat when she heard something; that annoying, cowboy drawl. It was Jack! 

His voice was faint and she couldn’t pick up every word, but he was there, he hadn’t left! Riley strained to hear what was being said. 

“-boss said we could go free if we let him take the girl, so just let us go.” 

Those words were flung so dismissively, that Riley sucked in a breath. They couldn’t really be leaving her? 

Panic swelled in her chest at the thought, and she quickly grabbed a branch to stand. Jacks voice faded, giving way to another that she didn’t recognize, before she flinched at the sound of gunshots. The red covered image of her friends hurt or dead, filled her vision and she almost forgot about her injured leg as she tried to go towards them. 

She may have been determined to find her friends but her broken leg wanted nothing to do with her little escapade, and she nearly crumpled to the ground as soon as her boot touched the soil. 

She gripped a tree nearby to keep her standing and tried to breathe through the pain. Her friends could be in danger and she needed to get out of the damn forest.   
Shouts came from the direction of the compound and more shots fired, before Riley heard Jacks voice come again. 

“Mac, we’d better get out of here before this turns ugly.”

Riley’s heart raced as she heard engines rumble and tires squeal. No! They couldn’t leave her! Not again!

She bit down a sob as she tried to take another step, ignoring the choked sounds of pain coming from her own mouth. It hurt so much and she was already so tired, that she only managed a few steps before she couldn’t take it anymore. Her bad leg gave way and she felt herself sway as she grew dizzy from the pain and her own halted breaths. 

She let out a whimper as she fell, sobbing as she struck the ground.

“Jack, I’m here. Please don’t leave me. Mac, come back, please.”

The trees swirled above, and there was too much noise for her to understand anymore. But she was alone and she couldn’t make it to help by herself. She was so, so tired and she didn’t want to hurt anymore. Sleep sounded so nice right at that moment, so with no other options, she let the dark take her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope this all made sense. I've read it over so many times I honestly dont know anymore. Also I'm sorry I might not be able to update any stories for at least a week cause my wisdom teeth are getting pulled tomorrow so I'm probably gonna be a mess. 
> 
> SPOILERS   
> Riley is not dead and Jack and Mac would never abandon her it'll be explained in the next chapter


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long health stuff came up and I wasnt able to write but I appreciate the support so much and I hope this isnt too terrible

Jack sprinted through the forest, breaking branches and stomping foliage as he searched for his lost team mate. He’d been forced to hide with Mac for too long, Matty insisting that they wait for back up and help to arrive before taking on any more of Marco’s men. Jack had been furious but knew that he didn’t have any other options. 

Of course, imminent danger and logic could never stop Jack Dalton from doing what he thought he needed to so he’d tried to sneak past the mobsters, only to get caught and have to freeze while some idiot pointed a gun at him and Mac. 

He’d managed to stall long enough for help to arrive, hearing gunshots as back up took out the rest of the bad guys, which gave Jack the distraction he needed to take down the one in front of him, with the gun he’d given Mac earlier. 

Tires screeched and dust flew around them as more help came, including a med evac team. There were still bullets flying around and Mac could barely stand so Jack gently placed a hand on the small of his back and lead him towards the waiting medics. 

“I’ll go find our girl, you need to get taken care of.”

The kid protested, insisting he was fine even as he stumbled, broken arm held tightly to his chest. 

“I wanna help.”

Jack handed him off to the waiting paramedics and leant down to meet his eyes. 

“You can help me by staying here and doing what you’re told, I don’t need anyone else to worry about. I’ll find Riley and be right back.”

Mac hadn’t been happy about it but relented and allowed himself to be checked over, watching Jack disappear into the tree’s as he called out for help to find their missing team member. 

“Spread out and keep your eyes peeled, she could be anywhere and she’d injured. She was taken hostage and we don’t know where Marco is but he should be considered armed and dangerous.”

He knew the protocols for this sort of situation, and he knew he should stay calm, but this was Riley and he would stop at nothing to protect that kid. 

His heart thumped wildly in his chest, the high of adrenaline making him jumpy and impatient to find her. Images flashed through his head, making it harder to concentrate; The look of terror on Riley’s face when she was pulled from the van, the way she’d cried as she’d been dragged into the forest. His thoughts were interrupted, but he was far from grateful. 

“I got blood here!” 

Jack looked up, sprinting towards the agent that had called out, praying that it didn’t belong to his little girl. 

He almost tripped over an exposed root in his haste to look at the blood smeared on the ground, and his eyes quickly followed the spatter towards a slumped form laying in the grass. 

His lungs seized and he fought to breathe, only able to suck in air after he saw who the blood belonged to. Marco laid still in the grass, eyes open as if in shock, knife still sticking out from his neck. Blood was soaked through his entire shirt, and covered the dirt and leaves in the sticky red. 

Riley had killed him, but where was she?

“Riley!” Jack called out, more panicked now than he had been before. If she’d killed him, why hadn’t she been able to answer their calls?

Another shout came through the air, only a little further away, as an agent crouched down to look at something beneath the fallen leaves. 

“I got her! We need paramedics now!”

Images crashed through Jack’s head as he sprinted over, unable to stop himself from imagining the worst possible scenario. He saw a bloodied hand first, outstretched and laying amongst the grass. Those curled fingers were unmoving and cold, and Jack could barely breathe as he surged towards her. 

Hands tried to hold him back as he came to drop down to his knees beside still form of Riley Davis. She was covered in blood, shirt soaked through with it, neck and face splattered, her face pale and her eyes closed. Her broken leg was secured with a handmade splint and lay awkwardly on the ground, but Jack couldn’t take his eyes off her face, smeared in red and dirt with tear tracks trailing down her face. 

She didn’t move as Jack called out to her, hands hovering over her form as voices behind him told him not to move her. 

“Riley? I’m here, I found you. Everything’s okay now, just open your eyes for me.”

His shaking fingers found her throat to feel the slow pulse, before hovering above her slightly parted lips to feel her soft breath. She was alive, but he wouldn’t properly breathe until she opened her eyes and said something, so he tried again, gently taking one of her hands in his and squeezing, as paramedics crowded over and started talking. 

He knew they needed room to work but he couldn’t leave her, he needed her to know that she was safe, that he hadn’t left her. 

Hands came down on her, checking vitals and pressing gauze to the cuts over her head, and Riley finally moved. 

Her forehead creased minutely, and she let out a huff of breath as someone moved her broken leg. Jack immediately leant over her, much to the annoyance of the paramedics, calling her name and gently stroking her hair back.

“Riley? Can you hear me? Open your eyes darlin.” 

She sucked in a shuddering breath and moaned in pain, her face scrunching before her eyelids flickered, blinking up at Jack. 

He let out a sigh of relief as she let out a sob, shaking hands reaching for him as she cried. 

“Jack, you found me! You came back!”

The various medical professionals around them didn’t want their patient to move but Jack couldn’t stand seeing her so heartbroken. Her clumsy hands gripped at his shirt, trying desperately to pull him closer and he couldn’t deny her the comfort she so dearly needed. He scooped her into his arms as carefully as he could, cradling her against his chest and hugging her tight as he whispered to her. 

“I would never, ever leave you Riley. It’s okay, you’re okay, I’m here. Everything’s okay now, I won’t ever leave you again, okay? I promise.”

Tears slipped from his eyes as he felt her shudder against him, voice broken. 

“You left me. You left and I was so scared.” 

Jack shook his head and carefully rubbed a hand over her heaving back. 

“I would never leave you, kid. Not ever. I’m sorry it took so long to find you, I never gave up for a second. You’re gonna be okay.”

The medics wanted her on a stretcher but she was so shaken, she wouldn’t let go of Jack. He nodded at them, letting them know they could treat her while he held her. They placed IV’s and wrapped a blanket around her before deeming her safe to move. Jack held her to him and carried her out of the forest, while Riley hung on tight and tried to stay awake with her head against his shoulder. 

By the time, they got her back to the ambulance, she was mostly out of it. She didn’t notice the change in scenery, or the stretcher she was placed in. All she was aware of was Mac’s gentle lips on her forehead and Jack’s quiet voice letting her know she was safe. Hands squeezed hers and she drifted once again. 

……………….

Jack sipped coffee from his chair in the hospital room, keeping careful watch over his two charges. Mac was sleeping off his concussion, with his casted arm laying on raised pillows, his restless fingers twitching as he dreamed. While, Riley lay in a bed beside him, bandaged and drugged into a comfortable sleep, her own casted leg raised on pillows similar to those MacGyver had. She would take a little longer to heal, with a bad concussion and mild case of shock, taking a toll on her slim frame. 

He was just so glad they were both safe, he’d hardly had enough time to worry about himself. Matty had bullied him into getting checked out and escaped with only a couple of butterfly bandages to hold some cuts over his face closed. 

Bozer had lost it when he’d heard what happened, and was currently sitting between his two injured friends, fast asleep in his chair. Matty came back in as Bozer let out an unhappy mutter, and handed a sandwhich to Jack as she looked at their sleeping agents. 

“They’ll be okay, Jack. Doc said they’ll be fine in a couple of weeks, and you’ll get to watch over them the whole time.” 

He nodded and lay the offered food on the table beside him, not feeling hungry although he knew he needed to eat. 

“She thought we left her, she thought I left her. Again. I’d never be able to forgive myself if anything happened to that little girl. Mac and Bozer too. But I’ve left her before and for her to think I’d ever be able to do it again?”

Matty sighed and lay a hand over his shoulder. “She knows you love her, they all do. You know, for someone who kills people almost every day, you’re pretty soft. Good thing we like you that way.”

Jack let out a small laugh. Don’t tell anyone. I’m turning into a regular Steve McGarrett.”

Matty frowned, but it had a hint of a smile and Jack felt a little better. “I don’t know who that is.”

“He’s a Navy SEAL and a water baby.”

The Director laughed at Jacks gruff and proud tone. “I’ll take your word for it.”

Jack knew that they’d be likely to get hurt again, with their line of work it was inevitable, but he swore to do everything he could to protect those kids no matter what. Because as smart as they were, they were just kids. His kids.

**Author's Note:**

> spoilers!!! He is not abandoning her, he would never do that. I'm just very mean and making it hard for them to find her


End file.
